Chapter 38
thirty-eight
. . .
Grant
The house is quiet when I step inside, and I can see the glow from the television from the kitchen. It's quiet, so I gently place my keys on the counter and slide off my jacket. It's later than I intended.
As I walk toward the living room, my mind is stuck on the last conversation I had with Sophia.
I can't explain why it bothered me, knowing Hazel had been spending so much time with her—more than I realized and certainly more than I'd intended for them to.
My instincts said to push back. Set boundaries. No expectations equals temporary.
But since then, I've been questioning everything. Sophia was able to pick up Hazel, no questions asked, and now my excuses feel flimsy, like a low-budget set on the verge of collapse. When I see them now, it's like the whole production is going off-script, and I'm not sure I want to stop it.
Sophia is on the floor, with Hazel stretched across the couch like it's the most comfortable place on earth.
It probably is. Sophia's fingers trail absently through Hazel's hair, and a small smile tugs at her lips as she listens to my daughter sing.
There's something peaceful about the scene, like they're perfectly at ease with each other.
I don't move. I just stand there, caught in the doorway, watching. I should say something, let them know I'm here, but I can't.
Sophia's touch is so natural, like she was always meant to be here. Hazel is so trusting and unguarded. When Sophia looks down at her with a tenderness, something in me aches.
All of it—the sight of them together, the quiet warmth of it—makes me want something I've spent years convincing myself I couldn't have.
Hazel spots me and calls out. Sophia's head turns, and as her eyes catch mine, her lips part in a small, surprised smile. "Hey." Her voice is careful, as if she doesn't want to intrude on the family dynamic between Hazel and me.
"Hey," I manage, stepping further into the room. My voice feels rough like I haven't spoken in hours. Maybe I haven't—not like this, not to someone who makes me forget what I was supposed to say next.
For a moment, we just stand there as the silence stretches between us. I should say something—thank her, apologize for being an ass the last few days—but all I can think about is how wrong I was. About her. About this.
The idea that we would cross so many lines and spend so much time together yet suggest there were no expectations feels laughable now.
I told myself I was mad because I didn't want Hazel to get attached and didn't want either of us to be hurt when this ended. But now I wonder if I wasn't just trying to keep myself from feeling this connection.
And God, I feel it.
"Thank you," I say finally, my voice low.
But when I walk Sophia to the door, Hazel pops up off the couch and demands that Sophia put her to bed, too.
I can see Sophia waiting for my approval, and it crushes me that she's hesitating.
There's nothing I want more than for her to be a part of our lives.
Sophia follows me upstairs to Hazel's room, and as she promised, Hazel goes right to sleep after one book.
We put her to bed together, moving in quiet synchronicity that feels intimate.
Sophia adjusts the blankets while I tuck Hazel's stuffed spaceship under her arm.
She presses a kiss to Hazel's forehead, and something about the gesture makes my chest tighten.
When we step back into the hallway, I close the door behind us. The house is quiet, but my heart is pounding loudly as I step closer to her.
"Thank you," I say, reaching for her hand. "For tonight. For…everything."
Sophia shrugs, but there's a vulnerability in her expression that I don't miss. "She's easy to love." Her voice is quiet and tentative like she's admitting something she shouldn't.
"You know I didn't expect…" I say, my voice strained. "Us, you and Hazel…this."
Sophia nods, and her eyes search mine. "I know."
"But it's more, isn't it? Whether we intended it or not."
She bites her bottom lip, and I hate how much I want to taste the same spot. "Yeah," she admits. "It is."
My pulse thunders in my ears. I want to blame her for making me fall for her.
"Stay," I say, and the word hangs heavy between us. "Here. With me."
I bring my hand up to her face and dust my thumb over her bottom lip. I've missed feeling her mouth on me. I lean in slowly, trying not to spook her or break the moment, and rest my lips on hers.
"I've missed this. I've missed you," I whisper over her lips.
She presses her lips to mine, and I wrap my arms around her waist and lift her up, moving my hands to help wrap her legs around my waist. She grips me so tightly that I can feel her center rub against my already hard cock.
I keep one hand gripping her ass while I reach the other hand up to the back of her head.
I tangle my fingers in her hair and grip it tightly so I can tilt her head back, giving me full access to slide my tongue down her neck.
She's wearing another pair of shorty shorts, and my hand easily slides underneath the hem, where I discover the barely there thong she's wearing. The pressure on my dick is painful, so I turn and walk down the hall to my bedroom.
I spread her across the bed and take a moment to appreciate her beauty.
"You have no idea how stunning you are. You take my breath away.”
I watch as she blushes, loving how she can be one of the most famous and beloved actresses in the country and still act as if she doesn't believe it's true.
I peel her shorts and panties off and raise her shirt over her head, groaning when I see she isn't wearing a bra.
My hands instantly reach for her breasts, and I mold my fingers around them as my thumbs brush over her pebbled nipples.
I lean down to taste one, running my tongue around her peak, taking it into my mouth, pulling and sucking on her.
She brings her hands up to my head and runs her fingers through my hair as she whispers, “I’ve missed you.”
"Tell me what you want."
"Touch me. More. All over."
I pull my mouth back and run my hands down over her waist and to her hips and rest them on her lower abdomen, right above her pussy. I let my thumbs graze over the top of her lips and watch her twist, eager for more.
I move my hands to her thighs, and I push them apart, spreading her wide for me.
"Fuck, Sophia, you're glistening. Is all that for me?"
I look up at her, catching the blush on her cheeks again as I watch her bring her hands to caress her own breasts.
The grin pasted across my lips must look predatory, but I can't worry about that right now because I have a feast before me, waiting to be eaten.
I use my thumbs to pull her apart, and I lick from her opening to the tight bundle of nerves at the top of her slit. I swirl my tongue around, listening to her gasp and moan, and move back down, lapping up every bit of her.
Being with her feels so damn natural like we've been doing this for years.
It's not just the way we're together physically—it's everything else.
We should be too busy for this, too busy to make it work, but somehow, it's easy.
It's not about finding time—it's like the time finds us, and it fits like it's always been there waiting.
I told myself I didn't want this, but I do.
"Grant, Grant, Grant…" She's chanting my name as if she's pacing it to sync up with her climax.
I dip two fingers into her heat and curl them to reach that place inside her that I know drives her wild. I can already feel her clenching around me.
"Grant, I'm going to come."
Her release is almost immediate, and I can feel pre-cum leaking from me. I'm so fucking hard for her. She sits up almost immediately and pushes me back.
"I want to taste you, please."
She crawls off the bed, places her hands on my shirt, and unbuttons me as I pop the button on my pants and slide them down.
I step out of my slacks as she slides her hands across my chest and down my arms, causing my shirt to fall to the ground.
Her hands glide down my torso, and when she reaches the waistband of my underwear, she slides in her hand and wraps it around my cock.
Her grip jolts me forward, pulling a moan from me.
Her soft hands grip me so tightly that I feel like I could explode immediately.
It's only been a few days since we've been together, but I've missed this; I've missed her so much.
One hand grips her loose hair firmly but gently while my other hand moves to gently grip her around her neck, controlling her movements, showing her that she is mine and I am hers.
The kiss grows more urgent. My tongue demands entry and licks inside her as I guide her back to the bed, with her hand stroking me the entire time.
When the back of her legs hit the mattress, she slides my underwear off and then turns me around, pressing against me, forcing me to sit and then lie back across the bed.
She crawls on top of me, and I can't help but reach for her breasts.
They are begging to be touched, cared for, and licked by me.
She settles between my thighs and grips me tight again, and I have to relive the cuts of dailies I saw today to hold off my orgasm. Her touch drives me crazy with need.
I bring my hand up to her hair and pull it back so I can see her face better.
"I've been dreaming about those lips wrapped around my cock for two days now."
"Only two days?"
I growl; she knows I dream about those lips constantly.
"Suck on it, Sophia. I want to see you choke on my dick. I want to see those eyes water."
I rub the tip of my head across her lips and wrap one of my hands around hers, helping to guide me into her mouth. She surprises me when she opens and takes all of me until I feel the back of her throat.
"Jesus, fuck. You're going to make me come so fast."
Sophia pulls back until I'm almost all the way out and then slides back down; the pressure and wet warmth feel like goddamn heaven.
She pops off and licks around me like she's cleaning me off and then slams back over my dick, bobbing up and down, sucking so tight my balls are clenching up.
I can't take it anymore and pop her off me, pulling her up from under her arms.
"Grant, what—"
"I want to come in that pussy, right now."
She crawls up and straddles me, rubbing her slit up and down over my erection, and the friction is almost too much to manage.
"Hang on. I need to get a condom."
"I'm on birth control, and I'm clean. I haven't been with anyone in a really long time before you."
I haven't been with anyone in a while, either. "I'm clean. And I've never been with anyone without a condom."
"We can use one," she whispers. "I don't want to pressure you."
I pause, feeling the weight of this moment. For some reason, I trust her. I'm not worried about a condom. Hell, Geneva got pregnant even though we used them, so it's not like they are failure-proof. More than that, I want to feel all of her.
"You're not. Are you sure it's what you want?"
She nods as she rises, grips my dick, and guides it to her entrance. She notches me in and starts to slide down, and the feeling of her bare is incredible. She's warm and wet and gripping me so fucking tight that my head leans back and I shut my eyes.
This. This is it.
I don't want this to end.
She slides herself down slowly, letting her body adjust to me.
"Fuck, that feels incredible."
My eyes fly open at her curse, and I can't help the laugh that sneaks past. "That good, huh?"
She smiles at me, and it takes my breath away.
Then she leans forward a bit to get the friction just right on her clit, and I reach up to grip her tits as she rides me up and down.
I can see her getting lost in the feeling, and if she doesn't slow down, I'm going to blow.
I grab her hips and flip her over onto her back without breaking us apart.
"Grant!"
"Sorry, babe. You are fucking me too good, and there's no way I'm coming before you do."
I pull one of her legs up to rest on my shoulder so I can push myself deep inside her, and I rut against her as I bring my thumb up and massage her clit.
"Right there. Don't stop. Keep touching me and fucking me right there."
I can feel her grip on me tightening, and I keep the pace, almost punishing her pussy. I watch as she grips the sheets and twists her head from side to side, and then she whispers my name as she locks her eyes with mine and gives in to her orgasm.
My spine tingles as I feel her clench around me, and I know I can't hold back. My thrusts become erratic, and I follow her into ecstasy.
In this moment of bliss, it's like every piece of my life finally makes sense.